Counter display carton



B. B. KAPLAN COUNTER DISPLAY CARTON Oct. 16, 195B 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 20 1950 06L 16, 195i 5 B KAPLAN 2,571,252

COUNTER DISPLAY CARTON 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 20 1950 Ail/ 01" a];

Patented Oct. 16, 1951 COUNTER DISPLAY CARTON Benjamin B. Kaplan, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Application May 20, 1950, Serial No. 163,205

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to merchandise counter displays of the easel type which fold or collapse.

An object is to provide such a display as an integral part of the original meohandise packaging container. A further object is to provide such a device in which the parts will position themselves automatically when opened for use as a display.

The invention provides a combined package and display unit in the form of a box or carton with a folding easel assembly attached to the under surface of the top of the box cover, the easel assembly being normally in a completely collapsed or folded position. To display the goods, the cover is removed from the box and inverted. The easel automatically sets itself up inside the cover simply by raising the assembly by hand upwardly from its folded position. The bottom or main body of the box or carton with the merchandise in it is next placed on the sloping shelf of the easel to serve as a display tray, and the entire unit is then ready to be placed on a store counter or table for the display and sale of the goods.

An illustrative embodiment is described below and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective of a combined packaging carton and counter display in open position for the display of merchandise;

Figure 2 is a diagram of the carton and display in closed or folded position for the packaging of the merchandise;

Figure 3 is a plan View of the inverted cover of the carton with the display easel assembly in folded position;

Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the easel assembly in a partially opened position;

Figure 5 is a verticalsection of the parts in the position of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a vertical section of the parts in a further opened position;

Figure '7 is a vertical section of the parts in fully opened position and with the tray in place; and

Figure 8 is a plan View of the cut-out blank from which the shelf member is formed.

The bottom I5 of the inverted telescope box cover it serves as a horizontal base for the display. A vertical back stand I! is hinged at its lower end at IE to the rear of the base 15. A sloping shelf member 29 is hinged at its front end at 2| to the base near the front end of the base. The shelf member is hinged at its rear end at 22 to the back stand I! between the top and bottom of the back stand.

- 2 The shelf member 20 has a face panel 23 which serves as a shelf, two easel flaps 24 hinged to the two side edges, respectively, of the face panel, a front hinge member and a "rear hinge member.

The said front hinge member of the shelf member is made up of a narrow rectangular panel 25 hinged to the front edge of the face panel 23, a similar panel 26 hinged to the panel 25 and a narrower panel 21 hinged at 2| to the panel 26. The panel 2'! is laminated to the base l5 (as by gluing or stapling) thereby rendering the lower front end of the shelf member 20 hinged at 2| to the base I5.

The said rear hinge member of the shelf member 28 is made up of a first narrow rectangular panel 333 extending across the width of the face panel 23, hinged at 22 to the rear end of the face panel and laminated to the back stand I! thereby rendering the upper rear end of the shelf member 20 hinged at 22 to the back stand.

A further part of the said rear hinge member is a narrow isosceles trapezoidal shaped panel 3!, its long sides parallel. Its longer parallel side 32 is hinged to the pane1 30. A second narrow rectangular panel 33 is hinged on one side to the shorter parallel side 34 of the trapezoidal panel 3| and on the other side at 36 to the under surface of the face panel 23. The latter hinging is by means of a third narrow rectangular panel 35 hinged at 36 to the panel 33 and laminated to the under surface of the face panel 23. The hinge 36 is spaced from the hinge 22 a distance approximately equal to the width of the trapezoidal panel 3|. The panels 33 and 33 are slightly narrower than the trapezoidal panel 3|.

The said rear hinge member is thus roughly in the form of a quadrangular open ended prism approximately rectangular in cross section when in the position of Figure 6, three of whose sides are the panels 3B, 3! and 33, the fourth side being the portion of the face panel 23 that extends between the hinges 22 and 36. The said rear hinge member or prism will sometimes ample as rolls of pressure-sensitive adhesive gift wrapping tape, and the telescope cover I6 is then placed over it. In this form, the unit serves as a box or packaging carton for storage and shipment of the merchandise (Figure 2).

To display the goods, the cover It is removed from the box 4| and laid on a counter or table in inverted position, open side up, as shown in Figure 3. The easel assembly 40 is then opened and set up simply by lifting the top of the back stand H from its horizontal position in the bottom of the inverted box cover I6 and swinging it about the hinge l8 upwardly and rearwardly in the direction of the arrows in Figures and 6 until the parts occupy the fully opened position shown in Figure '7. The box 4| with the goods in it is then placed on the sloping face panel or shelf 23 in the position shown in Figures 1 and '7, where it then serves as a display tray, and the unit is ready for the display and sale of the goods.

It is highly desirable that the face panel or shelf 23 have good support. It is also desirable from the point of view both of cleanliness and appearance, that the space beneath the tray 4| be enclosed or covered by side members such as the flaps 24. The members 24 are accordingly provided in the form of easel flaps, serving at once to enclose the sides and to support the shelf.

Where, as here, the folded display assembly is on the inside of a relatively deep box cover, it is ordinarily difiicult properly to position such flap members because they are folded inwardly, and the sides of the box cover |6 prevent reaching in with the fingers to draw the flaps outwardly into place.

It will be seen however, that the novel features of the present construction operate to unfold the flaps 24 and to push them outwardly into the desired position of Figure 1 automatically upon the raising up of the back stand N.

This automatic openin and positioning of the flaps 24 is effected largely by the above described short sloping edges 46 of the trapezoidal panel 3| together with other elements, and the relative positions thereof, in the manner hereinafter described.

It will be noted that when the easel assembly 40 is collapsed (Figures 2 and 3), the easel flaps 24 are spaced from the rear of the display a substantial distance (Figure 3) but when the easel is open (Figures 1 and '7), the flaps are positioned at the rear. Thus during the operation of opening the display, the flaps 24 travel rearwardly from the position of Figure 3 to the position of Figure 7.

It will also be noted that the rear edges 45 of the flaps 24 are flush at all times with the hinge 22 (i. e., with the rear edge of the face panel 23) since the fiaps are attached to the face panel in that position. Thus when the parts (including the sides of the prism 303|-3335) are fiat, the edges 45 will be slightly to the rear of the front edge 34 of the trapezoidal panel 3| because th panel 3| is wider than the panel 30. The edges 45 of the flaps 24 intersect or cross the short sloping edges 46 of the panel 3| at x.

The opening of the display assembly opens the said prism. This causes the trapezoidal panel 3| and the short sloping edges 46 thereof to be in spaced relation to the under surface of the shelf or face panel 23 at all times during the opening operation. Also, the said panel 3| and the said edges 46 thereof are approximately parallel to the said undersurface and approximately horizontal at all times.

Consequently, when the easel flaps 24 travel rearwardly during the said opening operation, their rear edges 45 engage the sloping edges 46 of the trapezoidal panel 3| at x, and the inside ends of the flaps are thereby held down against the base l5 and at the same time are moved outwardly toward the sides or walls of the box IS. The said edges 46 thus function as flap-deflecting members.

When the points of engagement .2: have progressed to the points y, the flaps 24 will then be held outwardly by the ends of the panel 3| against the inside walls of the box cover l6 so that as the parts move from the position of Figure 6 to that of Figure 7, the flaps 24 will enter the spaces 41 between the edges of the back stand l1 and the sides of the cover It.

The display, including the easel flaps 24, is then in fully opened position, and upon the positioning of the tray 4| on the easel panel 23, will of itself so remain.

I Displays according to this invention having the following dimensions in inches have been made: box cover I6, 17 x 12 /2 x 2 /3; back stand, ll, 16 x 12%;; main easel panel 23, 12% x 10%; greatest width of easel flaps 24, 4%; panel 30, 12% x 1 /2; trapezoidal panel 3 I, 12% x 8% x 1%; panel 33, 8%x1 /2.

It will of course be understood that the above dimensions are only exemplary. They may vary widely within the scope of the invention.

The precise patterns and the mechanical expedients shown herein are also exemplary, and may vary widely within the scope of the invention.

For example, the isosceles trapezoidal panel 3| may be held by any suitable means as long as its sloping edges 46 are in a position to be engaged by the rear edges 45 of the easel flaps 24 when the flaps travel rearwardly during the opening of the assembly, i. e., in an approximately horizontal position or approximately parallel with the said face panel and in either case in spaced relation to the under surface of the said face panel.

The back stand ll and the shelf member 20 are here shown as in two pieces. If desired, these may be formed from a single piece of material. Such a single piece would extend from the top of the back stand IT, to the hinge 22, to

the hinge 2|, to the hinge I8, and to the hinge 22.

A trapezoid is defined geometrically as a plane four sided figure with two parallel sides; and an isosceles trapezoid is defined as having the two non-parallel sides equal in length. Although the points y are shown herein as being slightly spaced from the rear edge 32, and the edges 46 are shown as being slightly curved, the panel 3| closely approximates an isosceles trapezoid and that term is intended herein to embrace a configuration such as that of the said panel 3|. If desired, however, the points y and the ends of the edge 32 may coincide, and the edges 46 may be straight, making the panel 3| strictly of a geometric isosceles trapezoid configuration. The illustrated form of the panel 3|, however, is preferred.

I claim:

A collapsible counter display of the character described comprising a horizontal base, a vertical back stand and a sloping shelf member; the back stand being hinged at its lower end to the base at the rear of the base, the lower front end of the shelf member being hinged to the base near the front of the base, and the upper rear end of the shelf member being hinged to the back stand between the top and bottom of the back stand; the

said shelf member comprising a face panel, a front hinge member, a rear hinge member, and

two easel flaps hinged to the two side edges, re- I spectively, of the face panel, the rear edges of the flaps being flush with the rear edge of the face panel, the said rear hinge member comprising a first narrow rectangular panel extending across the Width of the face panel, hinged to the rear edge of the face panel and laminated to the back stand below the face panel, a narrow isosceles trapezoidal panel, its long edges parallel and its longer parallel edge hinged to the first panel, and a second narrow rectangular panel hinged at one edge to the shorter parallel edge of the trapezoidal panel and hinged at the other edge to the under surface of the face panel along a line spaced from the rear end of the face panel, the said first and second panels being narrower than the said trapezoidal panel.

BENJAMIN B. KAPLAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,380,614 Warshaw June 7, 1921 1,671,998 Rose June 5, 1928 1,719,854 Rose July 9, 1929 15 2,251,814 Yohns Aug. 5, 1941 

